Off-road and sport utility vehicles have increasingly become a common mode of transportation. These vehicles usually have a very high ground clearance to allow them to traverse rough terrain and road debris. As a result, the roofs of these vehicles are often 5-7 feet from the ground, thereby making access to the roof and roof racks thereon very difficult. Often, the only way to access the upper portions of sports utility vehicles is to open the door and use the interior as a step. One drawback of this method is that the user's orientation with respect to the roof rack is precarious, such that they are often situated too close to the vehicle to effectively gain access to the roof rack. Another method is to use the bumpers of the vehicle as steps. Often, however, after using the vehicle in an off-road manner, the bumpers are often muddy and slick, thereby potentially causing injury to one who attempts to use them as footholds.
Some automobile manufacturers, such as HUMMER®, provide steps for access to their vehicles' extremely high roofs. However, the steps provided are usually three feet from the ground and are difficult to access by shorter individuals. In addition, some manufacturers provide steps that are adapted to selectively interconnect to trailer hitches. The major drawback of these steps is that they interconnect to the vehicle in the rear center of the vehicle where the spare tire is usually positioned, thus the access to the roof is limited.
Thus, there is a long felt need in the field of sport utility vehicle manufacturing to provide a step that provides the user with greater access to the higher portions of the vehicle. The following disclosure describes a mechanism that selectively interconnects with existing hardware of some sport utility vehicles to create a safe stepping surface.